Lenovo’s gaming phone has an extreme dual-fan cooling system

We’re not fairly certain there’s an enormous demand for them, however ~$1,000 gaming telephones are one thing producers proceed to push onto the market. If nothing else, they’re at the least attention-grabbing, and the newest entry, the “Lenovo Legion Phone Duel 2,” has one of the excessive cooling options in a cellphone, ever.

The cellphone design revolves across the digicam bump—it looks like underselling it to simply name it a “digicam bump”—smack in the midst of the cellphone physique. This bump covers about 25 p.c of the again of the cellphone and homes two cameras, an RGB LED lighting system, a panorama pop-up digicam (!), and two inside cooling followers.

Lenovo’s inside diagrams present a considerable amount of copper and graphite cooling plates contained in the cellphone; the plates contribute to the cellphone’s spectacular 259 g weight. In panorama mode, it seems to be just like the fan within the bottom-left nook of the rear bump is uncovered to the surface world and pulls in cool air. The air then travels alongside copper ducting and may exit out the vent on the backside or get blown out the highest by a second, completely inside fan within the top-right nook of the rear bump.

The entrance digicam is a pop-up digicam, which additionally lives within the rear bump, and it shoots out of the facet of the cellphone, so it is a panorama pop-up digicam. Lenovo imagines Twitch streamers would use the panorama pop-up digicam to livestream a cellphone recreation together with the digicam feed. There may be even help for overlays and digital avatars. The ability button is definitely on high of the pop-up digicam, which is unusual.

The cellphone appears 100% designed for holding in panorama mode, and holding it in portrait mode, such as you would a standard cellphone, looks like an attention-grabbing proposition. It seems to be just like the thickest a part of the cellphone can be proper the place you grip it. I am unsure if that is good or dangerous. Lenovo’s press launch factors out a number of considerate design concerns for panorama use, like how the centrally situated SoC and cooling means your arms might be avoided the heat-dissipating components of the cellphone, and that the twin battery, cut up between the left and proper sides of the cellphone, is “constructed for gamers to really feel the cellphone’s weight extra evenly of their arms.” Identical to on a recreation controller, there are twin vibration motors.

There are six further buttons on the again. 4 ultrasonic shoulder buttons on the highest of the cellphone (in panorama) replicate the L1/R1 L2/R2 design of most console controllers, and a contact level on both facet of the rear bump will also be used. Most smartphone video games are contact solely, however you are often capable of map these buttons to digital contact factors on the show, making certain compatibility with most video games.

Like on the Asus ROG phones, there are two USB-C ports on this machine, one on the underside of the cellphone and one on the facet, making it simpler to cost the cellphone whereas taking part in in panorama. One of many crazier options of Lenovo’s gaming telephones is the flexibility to make use of each USB-C ports without delay for 90 W charging over two cables. We’re not kidding. The (offered individually) 90 W charger for the cellphone truly has two USB ports on it, comes with two USB-C cables, and also you’re alleged to plug in each of them on the similar time. Lenovo says that “ultra-fast double charging” will cost the cellphone to about 80 p.c in 17 minutes, with a full cost taking half an hour.

The specs are about what you’d anticipate for a high-end cellphone. You get a Snapdragon 888 SoC, 12GB of RAM, 256GB of storage, a 5500 mAh battery, and Android 11 with Lenovo’s “ZUI 12.5” pores and skin. The show is a 144 Hz, 6.92-inch, 2460×1080 OLED.

Lenovo’s press launch tries to justify the existence of the gaming cellphone market by saying there have been 2.6 billion “cellular players” final 12 months, however the firm instantly makes the leap that these are all hardcore PC-gamer varieties who need RGB LEDs and edgy laser beam designs. The preferred video games on the Play Store are all informal video games like infinite runners, turn-based video games, and puzzle video games, whereas these gaming telephones all discuss fragging individuals at 144 fps and pwning the competitors. If there may be such a factor as “cellular gaming fans,” their finest wager might be to simply purchase an iPhone, which has higher app help because of a extra worthwhile app retailer and simpler, console-like {hardware} help.

The Lenovo Legion Telephone Duel 2 ships this month in China and might be out in Might 2021 in Europe, beginning at €799.00 (~$950). Lenovo leaves the door open for a US launch, saying, “Availability for North America is to be decided.”

Itemizing picture by Lenovo